Renavatio
by Fullelven
Summary: A month has passed since Reno and Rayne OC shared that kiss, unfortunately, things are not always as black and white as we wish them to be. The sequel to Thrice-Blessed
1. Truth

**Title: **Renavatio  
**Author: **RenoxRayne  
**Chapter:** 1, Truth  
**Summary: **A month has passed since Reno and Rayne shared that kiss, unfortunately, things are not always as black and white as we wish them to be.  
**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the main character, Rayne. Final Fantasy is a product of Square Enix, while Kingdom Hearts is a joint production of Square Enix and Disney Interactive Studios (Buena Vista Games.)

A city comprised of steel plates and machinery, where the wealthy had lived above and the poor suffered below. Out of sight, out of mind... their wellbeing meant nothing to those who'd lined their pockets with the Gil they were able to squeeze out of them. It hadn't mattered if they could feed themselves and their families, nor if they even woke up from day to day. Life was different for a Midgar citizen than it was for a ShinRa Executive.

Midgar citizens woke up to suffer, ShinRa Executives woke up to see to it that they did.

Despite the time that had passed between Meteor's attack on the Planet. Despite the time that those who'd escaped the tragedy had had to get over the events, the former Mako-fueled city held a haunting air about it. No matter how many times one rode past the mangled chain-link fence, flew over the tangled wreckage, it never seemed to go away.

Midgar was more than just a scar on the Planet, but a wound on the hearts of those who'd lived through the tragedy.

Rayne piloted the helicopter closer, smirking to herself as she noticed the Church in the Sector 5 slums still stood as steady as ever. Sure, there ceased to be a ceiling, the white stone now was more of a moss-ridden gray-green, but it was there none the less causing her to inwardly wonder if the flowers remained as well.

Unfortunately, the wellbeing of flowers wasn't on her agenda today, and so she continued angling her flight path to swoop back through the Playground area and where the Wall Market had once been, her sharpened senses gazing for any form of life that may have been there. People had begun to come up missing, spotted around the Midgar vicinity before disappearing seemingly out of thin air. Of course, such a job would call upon the Turks to come in and investigate before they had their reserve military force come in and sweep through a clean up.

She didn't mind so much the flying anymore, especially once she'd managed to learn to pilot a helicopter of her own. The sickening lurch of her stomach managed to stay at bay, allowing the young Turk to do her job without any problem... or dependence on Reno.

_Reno..._

Rayne knew it, she was running again and there wasn't anyone who could say anything different. To say she hadn't thought of the kiss they shared would be a blatant lie. To say that it wasn't something that had made her feel the world come alive around her would be false as well.

To say that she didn't feel something for Reno... therein lay the confliction.

There had been something there, a spark the tried to ignite something from the foliage that hid her guarded heart. Whether it had been successful or not, she'd managed to smother the bramble before it anything could come of it. For so long, she had wanted to be loved by another, to have her feelings requited by someone.

No... not someone... _Axel._

Her yearning for love had originated with him, and as she had originally thought, died with him as well. But Reno had awakened it as if it'd never slumbered at all, and she had to wonder whether or not it was because she truly had feelings for the red-haired Turk or if it was the remnants of Axel that she found him in.

What's more... did she want to love him? Did she want to tether her soul to a creature as fragile as he? She had been genetically altered, making her a little sharper, a little stronger, a little harder to kill. But Reno... he wasn't even SOLDIER material, just a simple Turk whose life could be ended by a single well placed bullet.

"_Sector Seven and Eight are devoid of activity."_ Rude's voice called from his own chopper.

"_Ditto for One and Two! Reno?" _Elena's voice chipped in.

"_Nothing of interest in Three or Four."_

His voice sounded so listless through the radio, and Rayne forced herself to blame it on the mechanical device. What machine could accurately relay human emotion anyway? "Five and Six are clear. Shall we take it home Tseng?"

There was a pause on their PDA's before his voice sounded over them. "Return to headquarters. We'll start the search again tomorrow at first light. Rayne, Reeve would like to speak with you in his office when you return."

She pondered just what it could be about, wondering if perhaps her friendship—because that was all it was ever going to be—with Reno was something frowned on with the company. Turning her chopper toward Edge, she lead the others back in to home.

"I'm going out for drinks, anyone else game?" Reno may have been inviting everyone, but he grey-blue eyes had fallen on Rayne and she turned her head so fast her hair fell in perfect position to hide her face.

"I think I'm going to have an early night after I speak with Reeve," she began, heading past them into the building. He watched after her, feeling the gazes of Elena and Rude burning his flesh. They knew what was going on in his head, the pain that only his eyes managed to fail at hiding. He forced a nonchalant grin onto his features and waved it off.

"Just one less drink for me to buy."

- - - - -

Rayne drug her shoes across the polished marble flooring of the World Regenesis Organization halls, the paintings, plaques, and other decorations that hung on the walls blurring at the edges of her visions as she found herself more enraptured within her mind. More and more lately, she had found herself spending her time daydreaming of various scenarios, some realistic some clearly fantasy.

Some days, she was the heroine, proving herself to the people of the Planet that she was more than some genetically engineered freak. Other days, she was a damsel in distress, awaiting her hero. Same red hair, same smug smile... holding their hand out to her she could only make out their silhouette in the bright light. _Do you trust me?_

Then sometimes, when she was alone in her room, she was just Rayne. Just a normal girl with normal problems, like what to wear, not being late to work, stopping that snag in her hose. Love and her differences held no meaning because they just weren't relevant.

But this was the real world and that was a place her mind had created for her to escape for awhile, when she had no where else to run from those who symbolized all she didn't know how to handle right now.

It couldn't stay like this forever, could it?

The elevator dinged, releasing her into the Director of the WRO's floor. Simple cream colored cushioned benches lined corners, potted plants and oakwood end tables with various newspapers on weapon development, medical journals, and science digests for people awaiting to be met to read. Rayne had never actually had to wait her turn when called up here, always being summoned when he was alone.

The see through glass door opened with little effort from her, and she made her way in, stopping just before his polished black desk, papers strewn haphazardly across it. Of course, she recognized her file sitting atop it all, open, and marked in some scrawl was her medical records. It was beginning to become more and more clear just what it was that possessed him to call her up here.

"Take a seat, please." She did as was told, letting her eyes travel to whatever she could find within the office, unable to keep them still. She was nervous, and with her uncertainty she felt oddly trapped in the spacious room. He must have sensed this, a polite smile on his stern features. "Relax, this isn't a performance review, your job is safe."

_Yeah... a relief..._ She thought to herself, not thoroughly sure if she was happy or not. "If you don't mind me asking, what is it that you called me up here for?"

"You were injured..." he began, looking over her file. "A month ago, in a reconnaissance mission inside Wutai, correct?"

Her chestnut brows knitted with momentary confusion as she instantly recalled the situation. "Yes, one of the fiends there took me off guard and caught my side. I was treated here and cleared for duty soon afterward," she relayed matter-of-factly. He could have confirmed that with her medical records, of that she was sure. It hadn't been any sort of major procedure, simple stitches and they sent her on her way.

"Would you mind if I saw your wound? Please." Reeve questioned as he stood. Again, the look of questioning came over her face and he stopped for a moment. "For purely medical purposes, I assure you. I have some... concerns that go along with those who were a product of Project G."

"Oh..." Rayne sighed heavily, standing some as she pulled her shirt up enough to reveal he right ribcage, covered in bandages.

"You're still wearing the bandages?" He sounded surprised, and waved her to put her shirt back down. Sitting back down at the other side of the desk, he began quickly typing something into his computer, giving Rayne half the mind to crane her neck to see.

"Well... yes. They told me to keep it wrapped in clean bandages until the stitches came out on their own. Is there a problem?"

Reeve ran a hand through his thick goatee and looked at her for a long time, and she could almost see the wheels turning in his head trying to decide how to break whatever it was that he had to tell her.

"Whatever it is, just tell me. I promise, I'm a big girl Reeve, I can take it. I've proven to be mentally stable thus far, I don't think I'll be breaking anytime soon."

"Fair enough." He said, a small smile forming at her strength. By far, she had proven herself to be the most stable mentally from the separate projects, despite the fact that she was the weakest when it came to physical combat. "You're not going to heal, the wound will continue to steadily get worse--"

"The Degradation process." She finished for him, her voice sounding hallow in her pointed ears. "It afflicted Genesis and he was given, what, a term of four years before it would kill him?"

Reeve nodded slowly, not at all surprised that she'd done her homework. Granted the first couple times she'd holed up within the Research Department for hours at a time reading over endless journals on cases like hers and what few were actually around her, he was worried her mind would crack as Sephiroth's had. Of all employees, he'd followed her the closest, in a way that far surpassed the spying he had done so long ago with Cait Sith.

He'd given Reno special orders to spy on her.

As the request for him stood even today, he pondered if it was worth it still. She seemed of sound body and mind, and something had changed in Reno since he'd started his watching her.

"_So she's safe then, you all aren't going to kill her when I go to sleep tonight or anything?" Reno questioned hopefully, the guilt obvious in his voice. Turk as he was, he still had a heart and submitting a harmless girl to her death was not something he could live with doing. Kidnapping an Ancient, that was something else entirely. She would have been kept alive and just experimented on... this they had been talking about was murder._

"_Yes, for now, she is safe," Reeve consented and Reno's shoulders relaxed. "However... she was kept in suspended animation and she's only been in the world for a short amount of time. The truth seemed detrimental to the sound minds of the products of Project G and Project S. We cannot risk her falling apart in such close quarters. Do you get what I mean?"_

_He looked at the ground, pondering if his research had all been for naught. He'd presented them with viable information that, in his eyes, would have given her a free ticket to get out of here and do as she wished. Sure, Sephiroth had lost it, Genesis had lost it, and Angeal had... he wasn't sure what had happened to him. And after the incident with the Tsviets... "Yes, sir."_

"_Alright then. I've cleared it through Tseng that you are permitted leeway, and to assign her to any assignments you may go on."_

"_But Rude is--"_

"_On vacation for now. Whether he chooses to take it is upon him. For now, she's your responsibility. Do whatever you must to gain her trust and insure you may keep close. She seems like a nice enough girl, and a good asset. Perhaps we can avoid a possible villain in her."_

"_Understood."_

Reeve sighed, looking at his screen. He partially felt guilty for having her watched, but he had to worry about the Planet first and whatever soft spots he had later. This... was a bit of both however as he came to a decision. "There may be a way to reverse the effects enough to allow you to heal. But you'll have to spend the night in the Observation Ward to insure it takes."

Her green eyes glistened as she examined him closely, wondering what exactly was going on in his mind before he spoke again. They'd merely sat in silence for a good measure of time before he had said anything. Yet... if there were some sort of cure for this degradation... "I'm sensing some hesitation in this. What's wrong?"

He put on a happy visage, shaking his head. "I merely worry for your safety," he began, only half-lying. "Its still a prototype and we haven't had a lot of people its needed to be tested on."

Rayne wasn't entirely buying it, but if it was a cure—albeit temporary—she'd take it. "I'll take it."

Punching in a few more things on his keyboard, he sent it off and turned his full attention toward her. "Good. Head to medical, they're expecting you."

"Thank you, sir," she bowed politely, turning toward the door.

"Oh, and President ShinRa has allotted his beach house to us for the next week. I'm sending you and Reno there for vacation, as you both have been my hardest working operatives."

Rayne opened her mouth to protest, but he shook his head, putting his hand up to still her lips. "Its not an offer, its an order. Take some R&R, you both need it." Returning to his work, he left her nothing more to do than to leave his office and head down to medical. She'd run out of places to hide... especially if he was sending them both to share the beach house in Costa del Sol.

Reeve waited until she was gone before pulling out his cell phone, and sending out a memo. He'd need his cooperation more than anything this time.

- - - - -

Through the roar and activity of Seventh Heaven, Reno felt his cell phone ring. Half tempted to ignore the ring and drown himself in the alcohol, possibly get drunk, make a pass at Tifa, and get thrown out on his head, he waited for another buzz of a ring but realized it stopped at just one. A text. Glancing sideways at Rude and Elena—the former of which was bashfully glancing at Tifa himself—he noted that neither of them had acknowledged any text on their devices. That meant one of two things, spam or personal.

Part of him hoped for the latter.

He'd atoned for condemning the girl he found in Nibelheim to death, even saved her life. He'd kept his word afterwards and did what he could to stay close to her, watch over her, and in turn got to watch her adjust to life as a human being rather than a terrified refugee who'd run away confused and brought herself up. She'd come into her womanhood easily, either through her own mental strength or Jenova's ability to absorb such traits from the lifeforms around her.

He'd watched her, and found himself admiring her more for it.

At first sign of the inklings of feelings toward the elusive woman, he'd brushed them off as getting into character. To becoming the man he needed to be in order for her to confide in him and let her guard down around him. If he could become her emotional dependent, then maybe he could anchor her and keep her from falling like the others. What had been a mission first started becoming a little more than that. He stopped having to protect her and began wanting to. He started to like protecting her and finally it just started becoming an automatic thing.

He found joy in being her hero.

Reno the hero... nice rhyming quality, yet he knew being a Turk when he signed up that he'd never be the hero. That wasn't his place. It was in the shadows, doing the dirty work no one else wanted to stain their hands with. He was to be sneaky and underhanded man, the one they called in to do kidnapping, espionage, assassinations...

For some reason, what he had pride himself on before now seemed to make him feel sick. He felt a little less human for the lives he'd taken and smiled as he done so. Namely that day he set the plate to release in Sector 07.

He looked back at Tifa, surprised that she even spoke on friendly terms with him anymore, despite he was the reason that she'd lost so many friends and the original Seventh Heaven in that attack. There was redemption for everyone... but was it something he _wanted_ to seek?

"You look like you've got a lot on your mind, Reno."

He glanced up at the voice, a half-smile habitually finding its way to play his lips. "Of course. We've got a world to save out there. Kind of strange still, working on the good side." His hands played with his glass, twirling it on the counter top before him as Tifa leaned down trying to find his eyes.

"We're not so bad now, are we?"

"Heh."

"Aww... you can't say it doesn't feel good to save the world," she began, leaning back and crossing her arms across her anything-but-modest chest. Her long, thin, black hair licked at the sides of her face where it was layered slightly. He shrugged and leaned lazily against the back of the barstool.

"Who am I to say? You had to save the world from us once, yet you're willing to drop all that to work beside us? A little easy on the forgiving there aren't you?"

It was her time to shrug now, an understanding smile taking over her full lips. "Dilly dally shilly shally."

"Huh?"

"Quit living in the past, you're beginning to sound like someone else around here," she said gently, her voice bittersweet. The tone caused him to look up at her and he gave her a solemn nod. Perhaps his brooding and worrisome attitude is why Rayne had been anything but emotionally accommodating toward him since they shared their kiss.

His heart jumped a little just thinking about it. "Hey... thanks. You're not a bad advice giver, ya know?"

She chuckled a little and started back down the bar. "Anytime, Reno."

With a little resolve in his heart, he pulled the cellular telephone from his suit pocket and flipped it open, thumbing through the menus to his new text messages.

**Subject: **_Vacation Time _**From: **_Reeve_

_Reno, as a thank you for the personal favor you've done for me, I would like to_

_allot you some vacation time in Costa del Sol. Rufus ShinRa himself has _

_graciously offered his beach house there. You'll not be alone, and I still want you_

_to keep our agreement we made. I am sending Rayne with you. There have been_

_some developments with her condition and I wish for you to observe her in this time._

_Reeve Tuesti_

Reno stared at the message for a long while, unsure of what to make of it. Chances were, they'd be sending them off sooner than later, and again he'd be forced to spy and report on any and all of Rayne's doings. With a heavy sigh, he put the phone away and ordered another whiskey. They wouldn't send him out tonight and he was pretty sure he wasn't drunk enough yet to take on the task willingly.

- - - - -

"Alright, Rayne. I need you to lay back and count backwards from ten. This is going to sting quite a bit."

She laid back on the table, silently cursing the numerous cords and monitors hooked to her. Rayne wished they'd just hurry up and inject her with it before her fear got the better of her and she demanded to know what was within the concoction. The I.V. had hurt enough when they put it in, and she quietly wondered just how inserting liquid through it could hurt any worse.

"Ten... nine... eight..."

The needle was inserted, though she felt nothing. She relaxed some against the semi-comfortable medical cot and continued her counting.

"Seven... six... _five..."_

Pressure ceased her left arm, and instantly her breath was stolen. She gripped the bed with white knuckles, clenching her teeth as it felt like little needles were slowly cutting up the vein in her arm.

"F-four... three... t-two..."

The sensation entered her chest, surrounding her heart that had began racing, causing the vile medicine to course quicker through her body. A tear left her eyes and before she could speak one, darkness claimed her without warning, taking her away from the conscious world into the one of her creation.

The technician looked over her stats, her heart was beating erratically, her blood pressure rising, and her brain activity had gone haywire. There wasn't anything he could do now, there was no counteraction for what he'd given her.

Jenova cells. Mixed with a sample of the Lifestream and her own DNA, it was a risky idea, but they hoped it was enough to reverse the degradation for now. The problem lay in how stable her mind would remain with more Jenova cells along with the Lifestream being injected. It was needed to heal her, it was the very source seemingly of all her power in the first place. However...

There was always the worry of where Sephiroth may be, so long as his body was no where to be found. To say he returned to the Lifestream was to worry his consciousness survived within it, Jenova with him, waiting for their next chance to assault the Planet.

And this vessel was one they couldn't allow them to take.

**((A/N: Alright, first chapter of my second story in my RenoxRayne stories. Went a little longer, hoping to put a little more substance with these. Please, read, review, critique... just don't flame. They make the Reno muse cry.))**


	2. Take To The Sky

**Chapter:** 1, Take To The Sky  
**Summary: **The injection of Jenova cells have had a strange effect on Rayne, but the trip to Costa del Sol remains in the plans. Will she and Reno work out their differences, or will something stop them along the way?  
**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the main character, Rayne. Final Fantasy is a product of Square Enix, while Kingdom Hearts is a joint production of Square Enix and Disney Interactive Studios (Buena Vista Games)

_Where is that crying coming from?_

Rayne blinked her eyes, looking around the empty sterile chamber of which she'd passed out in after her injection. Everything appeared to be as it was before, yet still something felt different in the air. A feeling much like the static that charges on the air before an electrical storm. It was nearly silent, save for the sound of the central air conditioning rattling through the ducts.

That. And the sound of a child's soft cries.

For the moment, she ignored it, laying back on the thin mattress and closing her eyes to will herself back to sleep. However, the tears the child shed tore at her heart until she found it no longer within her moral standings to lay there and let it continue. Ignoring the frigid chill of the marble floor, she exited the barren room in search of the neglected youth.

Little sound emanated as her bare flesh made contact with the ground as she followed the saddening sound, and slowly came to the realization that the entire floor was all but empty. She passed not tech not executive one as she took another turn down the halls, coming upon a waiting area. The windows were slightly tinted to keep the rising sun from blinding those who occupied it, much like every window in the World Regenesis building. Like the area outside of Reeve's office, it too had the plush off-white seating and faux potted plants.

However, unlike the waiting area upstairs, a young boy occupied this one, his long silver hair hiding his face as his sniffled and cried silently.

"Excuse me? Are you alright?"

He didn't seem to pay any attention to the young woman, continuing as he had as if she had never said a word at all. A small frown played on her full lips as she entered the room a little further, though still a good few feet from the child. "Are you lost?"

"I c-can't find M-mother..." he sobbed finally, his breath hitching through his syllables.

_Who would bring their child to work here and leave them to get lost?_ The idea that someone could be so irresponsible aggravated Rayne, but second thoughts gave her reason to keep a clear head. Children were running off all the time... perhaps he'd wanted to explore. "Maybe I can help you find her. I work here, so maybe I know her."

He turned away from her, facing the windows now. Glancing out them, Rayne had to double take as she saw the clouds outside. They were angry, a torrent of grey and black, swirling for as far as the eye could see. As if they were threatening to suck the entirety of Edge and its citizens up into it. Her blood chilled, her heart fluttering with brief fear. She needed to get this child to come with her and get them to the basement. "Here, come with me darlin' and we'll go find your mom. Its not safe to be up here."

"Its not safe... to be anywhere," he started, his tears slowing some as he continued talking. "I don't want to be alone..."

She moved closer to him, kneeling beside him as she brushed his hair gently. "You're not alone, hun. I'm here, I'm going to protect you. But we need to go and find your Mother-"

"They're all dead."

He turned his head toward her, though kept it bowed so that she still couldn't see his face, bringing up a tiny pale hand to wipe his cheeks.

"Who's all dead? What's going on?" She asked, her mind racing with a thousand scenarios. None of this was making sense to her, other than her instincts telling her that something was drastically wrong. Half of her told her to just get up and run away, leave the child there and worry about herself. But another part of her refused, needing to be with the child and comfort him.

"She's coming."

Rayne cocked her head to the side a little. "Who's coming? Please, help me understand so that I can help you."

"You can't fight her."

Every sentence was just as cryptic as the first. She supposed it was a good thing that he'd calmed down now and was no longer crying. But all this puzzle talk was making her head spin.

"You let me worry about fighting her. Right now, we need to go find your mother and get you safe."

The resulting punch on the floor from the boy startled her, even more so as he finally stood up before her. Still his hair created a silk curtain around his face, shielding him from her curious stares. "Don't you love me? Don't... you want to be with me?"

Now it was getting beyond weird.

"I-I'm sorry?"

He shook his head. "I never meant to disappoint you. I did everything as I thought you would have wanted while you were gone."

She began to stand, but he pushed her back onto the floor with strength that far surpassed what his short stature should have been able to possess. "What's the matter, Mother?"

His voice changed suddenly to a smooth, yet lethal baritone and with one fluid motion his hand gripped her throat and she found herself lifted off the ground, her feet dangling a good inch away from the polished flooring. The boy was no longer a short youth, but a very tall man clad in black leather. His haunting sea-green eyes bore into her, their gaze like a those of a man who'd lost every bit of conscience within him. A man who had nothing to lose and the entire world to gain. His grip tightened around her neck as he continued to stare at her condescendingly.

"Don't you recognize your own son?"

Whatever protest she may have had, Sephiroth wanted nothing to do with it. Little effort was needed from the former SOLDIER First Class as he tossed her through the thick glass. Breaking through and taking large shards with her—and _in_ her—she began to plummet hopelessly toward the Planet, his sickening laugh reverberating in her mind.

- - - - -

"**Rayne!"**

Had Reno not anticipated the flailing arms of Rayne's as she awoke from her nightmare, it was likely he would have been knocked silly. Falling onto his backside on the hardwood floor of the large elaborate beach house of Rufus Shinra, he just barely evaded the attack and watched from a safe distance as her confused Mako gaze searched frantically around the room.

"That must have been some dream..." he noted, laying back with his forearms flush against the floor.

Rayne took a moment to regain her senses as her surroundings quickly came into focus. She wasn't just waking up after her procedure, she was in Costa del Sol. There was no child, no storm, and no Sephiroth. He was dead and gone... a mere nightmare of a memory best left in the recesses of everyone's minds. It took a bit longer for Reno's voice to even reach her ears, and as it did, she immediately retreated within.

"Just a dream," she began with a shrug, forcing herself from the comfortable green plaid couch. Stepping over his legs, she headed into the bathroom. He got up, starting to follow her, but stopped short as he realized where she was going.

"Sounded like more than a little bad sand from Mr. Sandman." He leaned against the wall outside the bathroom, crossing his arms across his chest.

There was no answer for a moment before he swore he could hear the sounds of a sigh come through the thick oak door. "Reno. This... is a bathroom. Normally, people would require a little... _me time_ in here. Without the bother of others. You get what I'm saying?"

He rolled his grey-blue eyes, lazily pushing himself off the wall as he headed back to the couch. "Whatever you say. You're the boss!" He called as he sat down.

It hadn't taken a nightmare to alert that there was something wrong with Rayne. In fact, he'd picked it up the moment they'd left Edge for Junon to catch the boat. She seemed horribly distracted, withdrawn from everything around her. It went beyond the distance she'd put between the two of them after their kiss. He had no idea where it went wrong, what he could have done or said to make her react like she had.

Normally, when one kisses you, and you they, you don't spend the next month avoiding them like the plague.

With a heavy sigh, he leaned back against the cushioned back rest, letting his head lean on his crossed arms behind him. He'd tried talking to her about it, only having her put up the whole "not on a mission" ruse. Outside missions, she was all but present, seeming to disappear the moment her chopper landed on the pad.

But this distance now... this distance was something else entirely.

In almost a night, she had seemed to go from ignoring him to being completely disjointed from the entire world. As if she walked on the line between it and the next without disrupting the flow of either. She was spacey, her head so far from reality, it was impossible to tell if it had floated into the clouds or descended into her own personal Hell. And with that last nightmare, he was willing to bet good money on the latter.

Rayne would be sure to put her money on that last bit too, had any bet existed. She gripped the side of the porcelain sink, staring into her reflection in the mirror. She looked no different, same flesh, same hair, same eyes. Nothing about her looked any different than what it had been before her injection. _My stitches are probably still there as well._

Untucking her long sleeved teal shirt, Rayne began to unwrap her bandages carefully. They fell to the floor in a loose circle around her feet, leaving only the large pad of gauze covering the gash, which she promptly—which a deep breath—took off as well.

_What the-_

Where stitches had been, her fingers ran along smooth skin, a tiny sliver of a scar left over. The bits of black thread that had been used had made residence in the salve that coated the cotton. She was healed, completely. No signs of degrading at all.

But at what cost?

Her sleep was riddled with nightmare after nightmare of Sephiroth, different variations of their meetings, but all remained with one constant: the idea that Jenova sleeps within her.

She wasn't evil, that much she was sure of. Among the people on _this_ Planet, you were born neutral and it was your choice what courses of action you took through life to give you a title.

_Choice_.

There was that one little independent variable that ironically became the constant in both Hollander and Hojo's experiments. The subjects weren't given a choice. To go a little further, they were exposed to cells of a creature who... well... lacked the choice to be evil, now that Rayne thought about it. Jenova was little more than a parasite, traveling from planet to planet, infecting and weeding its way in until it killed all life. Then using the planet as a vessel to go to the next.

It didn't kill because it wanted to. It killed because that was a part of it, it was coded into its DNA. It was _what _ it was. And she was walking around, the lone survivor of these experiments, and she had been the closest to Jenova yet.

_But I don't kill... I don't want to kill. Its hard for me to end lives on missions when its called for._

Lucrecia had been able to do a little, to somehow counter act Hojo's further experiments on Rayne. She seemed more stable than the others had been, not seeking death, destruction, or redemption. All she had wanted to do was belong, to love and be loved in return. To be able to walk and not strike fear in the hearts of those who saw her.

She had loved, she'd loved Axel, of that she was sure. Nothing in her life could compare to the pain she felt when he sacrificed himself. To the despair she felt when she realized even if she found his Heartless and Unbirth, there was no Nobody left to unite them with. She couldn't make Axel whole again, and no matter how much she had wanted, he could never love her in return.

Then there was Reno.

Reno _could_ love her. Reno _did_ love her... or so she'd like to believe. So what was stopping her? He'd been there since her crazy ride into this Turks deal, he'd been the one to pull her out of isolation, save her from execution, and assist her in finding who she was. He'd been there for her in her weakest and strongest moments, and even now as she fought to be away from him, he remained steadfast and did the only thing he could do.

Remain Reno.

He tried talking to her, and she'd dismiss him, leading him to dropping it and moving on to whatever they'd been doing. Almost immediately, he stopped being the lovesick man who was trying so desperately to reach the frozen heart of his lover, but became the laid back and aloof man she'd first met. Lately though, the rouse had run thin and she could see what she was putting him through.

But... then again, what if it wasn't a _rouse_ at all?

It was strange the way he'd become so attached and so quickly. The way he'd give up missions with his best friend to follow her around and assist her with research or just talk about her and life. Perhaps this wasn't love at all he was showing her, but something else entirely.

Or maybe she was looking for a reason to justify her cold mask toward him.

"Rayne! Are you alright in there? Or is that 'me time' a little more private than I want to know?"

She grumbled, swinging open the door and glaring down at him. "All yours big boy. I'm going out."

His eyes followed her, a carefully guarded expression in their depths as Rayne passed in front of him, grabbed her black cloak, and headed out the door.

_I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this to her, Reeve._

- - - - -

The clear skies gave way to every glint and glitter of the Heavens, thousands upon thousands of sparkling diamonds winking down in their own little sequences, watching over the Planet and its inhabitants. Though so small and delicate, they had the power to make those who stared up at them feel tiny and insignificant in comparison. The lighting of Costa del Sol was reduced to little more than a small light here or there, and tiki torches lighting the patch toward the beach, allowing the stars to shine brighter than ever. It was quite the pleasant change from city life in Edge.

Rayne couldn't take her eyes off them, finding solace in the tiny dots of burning gas, imagining what it would be like to soar up among them.

Freedom. A small word, but anymore, it was all anyone could ever want. Freedom from pain, from strife. From love, life, and all the decisions that went along with it. Freedom to feel as you wished, to live as you wished... freedom to decide your own destiny. As it was now, she had little of it. A feeling of irritance worried her that she may be giving in to a darker side locked within her. Life outside the World Regenesis Organization most certainly meant another self-exile as she awaited degradation to eventually return her to the Lifestream. And destiny... that was a whole other thing entirely.

But she had none of this, a prisoner to the cells in her body and the cruel experiments spent on her. Rather than live what sane life she had left to its fullest, she resorted to distancing herself and feeling sorry for herself.

"What else can I do?" She questioned rhetorically. "If I let them get close... their care for me will only be a liability if what these dreams say are true."

She'd read the books before, it was a common characteristic of the newborn monster to kill all ties to humanity that it had left in order to reach its full potential. Rayne knew she didn't want that to happen, the thought was little more than she could stomach thinking of even hurting her co-workers, of hurting Reno.

"You always hurt... the ones you love."

The voice came out of nowhere, and yet she recognized it in a heartbeat. "Sephiroth!" She growled, getting up and turning to face the silver-haired wonder. However, he was gone and in his place was a hooded figure, its robe matching her own.

"You don't remember me? Wow... harsh," he began, slipping the hood down to reveal endless spikes of bright red hair. His bright green eyes shimmered in the night, looking at her as if he was hurt. "If I had feelings, I'm pretty sure that would have stung."

"Axel?"

A small smile appeared on his lips and he nodded slowly. "In the flesh, so to speak."

Her eyes glistened, mist gathering in them as her heart pounded in her chest. Was it true? Was she really seeing him before her? _It could be a trick, Rayne. You know that, you felt him die!_ Despite the protests of her subconscious, looking at him, being so close to him, she couldn't help but to not care about the dangers. Throwing caution to the wind, she threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly, sobbing relentlessly into his chest.

He held her lightly, looking down at her with that same small smile, one of contentment. "Come on now, you can't have missed me that much. How much can you miss someone who doesn't exist?"

"Nobody or not, you were always real to me..."

"Even though I can't love you?"

Rayne closed her eyes, burrowing her face in his cloak. No heart pounded in his chest, but it was a small quirk that didn't matter much to her. He was here, now, and holding her. Heart or now, she loved him. "Like I said, being a Nobody never mattered to me."

He pulled her away from him for a moment, staring down at her seriously, and suddenly she grew very cold inside. "Rayne... the fact that I can't feel emotion had nothing to do with me not being able to love you." He let his fingers fall down her cheek before cupping it. "I could never love you... because you're a monster."

Rayne recoiled, falling to her knees, unable to tell what pain was greater; that of her heart shattering or the mind-numbing fire that ripped through her right shoulder blade. "W...why?" She tried to ask, but it only fell from her lips as a strained cry. Powerless to do much, she gripped helplessly at the sand, letting out a tortured groan.

Looking up, her vision began to fade. Axel no longer stood there, but someone else was making their way across the beach toward her now. The last thing she saw was a scuffed pair of boots before she gave in to the darkness.

- - - - -

It hurt Reno's heart to have to watch on as Rayne spoke to herself, reacted to whatever it was that her mind had cooked up for her to see. It seemed she couldn't even find acceptance in her own head, and rejection sent her to her knees. At least, that's what he thought had sent her there until the painful cry left her mouth and she began to shudder. He had started running toward her then, only to stop a few feet from her as she lost consciousness.

She lay on the barren beach, the moonlit tide lapping at her boots, a brand new white wing produced from her back and laying limply in the sand. Where blood had seeped from the wound, it quickly healed right before his very eyes.

"Rayne?"

He was unsure of what to do, and as she didn't answer, fear gripped his heart. What if she didn't wake up from this transformation? What had happened to her that Reeve wasn't letting him in on? Obviously, he knew something like this might happen, or he wouldn't have sent her away from the building under his watch.

Leaning down, he hoisted her into his arms, being careful of the impressive downy wing that drug a line in the sand behind them as he started them back to the beach house. She was light in his arms, he barely having to exert himself to get her up the stairs to the streets before finally arriving back in the home.

He laid her gently onto the bed on her stomach, unsure of laying her on her back would hurt her new appendage and pulled out his cell phone. The number was easy to find in his contacts, and as it rang, he was relieved to have it picked up on the first ring.

"Reno?"

"I know its late sir... but we have a situation."

**((A/N: End of Chapter 2! Anyways, I had originally planned for this to go a completely other way... and then Axel drew himself out of my fangirl closet and decided to say hello to Rayne --. So I went with it. Anyways, was that truly him or something else entirely? I guess you'll have to wait until the next chapter to find out!))**


	3. Revelations

**Chapter:** 3, Revelations  
**Summary: **Rayne over hears a conversation between Reno and Reeve that leaves her doubting their friendship. Could this mean trouble for them, or will something more dangerous come along, pushing this little quip to the back burner?  
**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the main character, Rayne. Final Fantasy is a product of Square Enix, while Kingdom Hearts is a joint production of Square Enix and Disney Interactive Studios (Buena Vista Games)

**((A/N: Forgive me for the delay in uploads! I was doing NaNoWriMo and it consumed all of my time there for awhile, so I couldn't spare any time to work on this. ;_;. But now I'm back and ready to get this ball rolling again! ))**

The darkness encompassed Rayne's form, causing her slender frame to be lost amidst the thick blankets and faux wood paneling. Her eyes were closed, her chest rising and falling slowly as a single moonbeam slipped within the window, missing her resting place—a king sized bed with hunter green blankets and sheets—by a mere inch. It was find with her that her face was hidden from her crimson-haired savior... she didn't believe she was ready to face him just yet.

Still her mind drifted back to that beach where she saw Axel once more, a plethora of emotion washing over her tired and confused brain. In all honestly, she hadn't cared how or why he was there, only that he was and that she wouldn't have to be lonely ever again. But that ended short when he confirmed her greatest fear; she was a monster and it was that reason that he couldn't love her.

Anyone else could have said the words, could have insinuated that she were no different than Sephiroth or Jenova. They could have told her that she was doomed to become another Genesis or to die like the thousands of other nameless Sephiroth clones. It wouldn't have mattered. She would have gotten upset, argued, proven them wrong. But when Axel said it... it just felt so much more real.

Perhaps this was a fate that she could never outrun.

The sound of the ancient iron hinges of the door creaking brought her slowly from her miserable memories, as a dim light flooded into the room, a silhouette blocking most of it including what would have hit her face. If Reno was beside her, then who was that?

"How is she doing?"

_Reeve? Reno called him?_

"Not much to say, she's just laid there since I brought her in. Can't tell if she's unconscious or sleeping..." Reno began, his usually chipper voice sounding downtrodden with worry. She remained still, closing her eyes as Reeve stepped further into the room and shut the door behind him.

"You've been just sitting here in the dark watching her?"

There was silence that permeated from the young man before a sigh. "Yeah, well, what was I supposed to do? Leave her alone and have another vision assault her?"

"If she's seeing things, there's really nothing you can do about it Reno," Reeve answered quickly, the bother of them speaking in hushed tones. However, her enhanced hearing picked it up without any problem at all, though part of her dreaded having to hear the conversation at all.

_Wait... seeing things? He didn't see Axel?_

"Yeah well, someone ought to be there for her."

He was grasping at straws and he knew it, the lines between duty and personal feelings were easily blurred when it came to her. He couldn't allow Reeve to see it, whom he already knew had caught on by the scrutinizing stare he received. "If you're becoming too emotionally attached in the assignment, I'm sure Ciss--"

"I'm fine, I wouldn't want you to call her in from Gongaga anyway. It's just... you can't tell me that you don't feel..." He looked at Rayne for several moments before running his hands through the loose strands of wild red hair that had freed their selves from his ponytail. "She's just as human as the rest of us, I don't feel right having to spy on her like this... She's a friend."

_Spy? He's been... spying on me? _Rayne's heart thudded so hard in her chest then, she began to worry that the other two might hear it. Reno's been a spy on her this entire time, undoubtedly her admission into the Turks months ago was only to keep her close to home for further observation. She gritted her teeth... when would the world stop treating her like an experiment?

"You want more."

It wasn't a question, Reeve hadn't meant it to be. Part of Reno was glad for that, it keeping him from having to answer that question he'd been fighting himself. Sure he wanted more, he'd wanted more from the moment his lips had touched hers on the couch back at Headquarters. She didn't want to be with him? Fine, he understood that. Who would want to date the man charged with spying on their every aspect of life?

"You don't have to say anything, your demeanor has said it all. I understand... I've grown quite fond of her myself in the brief times we've chatted. Granted I haven't gotten to know her as personally as you or any of the other Turks have..." He turned back to the bed. "But she only _appears_ as human as the rest of us, and perhaps mentally she is. But physically..." Reeve moved around the bed, finding her back where his fingers grazed the irritated slash of flesh beneath her torn shirt. "She has different needs than us, and that's why I want you to continue keeping an eye on her."

"I can't do that," Reno began, defying a direct order for his first time since he'd joined up with the Turks. "You know... this job is my life. But this, this is her life we're messing with."

Reeve chuckled lightly, standing once more to return to Reno, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I hadn't meant spying now. Whatever you want with her, that's none of my business. I'm instructing you to keep me posted on her health. She's at a delicate state right now and despite her abilities, she's more vulnerable than ever."

Reno nodded, relieved at the news. "Right. Just her health, 'sall I have to report?"

"Just her health. If it goes further downhill, I want to be the first to know. If we're going to save her, then we're going to have to do this carefully..."

Rayne couldn't believe her ears, then again, the confliction in her heart wasn't allowing her mind to quiet at all. Reno had been charged to spy on her, to find out every aspect of her life as if she was some danger to their precious WRO company. But now... wasn't he just taking up for her? Had he really risked turning down orders from the head of the company just to take a _moral_ route?

Maybe she was seeing dillusions again.

"I'll be staying at a cabin just north of here for the night, heading back to Edge in the morning. You know how to reach me." Reno again nodded to the man, who again cupped his shoulder reassuringly. "And get some sleep. This is supposed to be a vacation for the both of you, loosen up."

"Heh, I'm lax..." He said, a little more of that Reno flair returning to his voice. "I'm a relaxed as they come. Cool, calm, and collected partner."

Reeve smirked, turning to head back out the door, shutting it behind him. It wasn't until he heard the main front door shut though that he relaxed once more, melting into the chair beside the bed, staring off lost in thought into the darkness.

- - - - -

Sunlight filtered in through the cracks in the blinds, flickering across Reno's eyes tauntingly from the salt-filled breeze coming in off the water. He blinked, groaning as he rolled over in the bed. _Wait... bed? When the... _He furrowed his scarlet brow, turning this way and that as he looked around for a sign of Rayne, but finding the bedroom to be completely vacated save for himself.

"How the heck did I get into the bed?"

He slid from beneath the covers, hurriedly pulling on his boots—which he also didn't remember removing—and tied them tightly before beginning to speed through the house looking for his ailing friend. Inwardly he chided himself for having dozed off, for having allowed her to sneak out past him without him knowing. Though the small bit of a logical side that he had knew better than to blame himself, his heart wouldn't let him hear the end of it.

Of course, the beach house itself didn't hold his friend, and he burst through the front door, ready to run through the beach crowds looking for her.

"Uh... if you're looking for me... you're definitely not going to find me at the beach. Not with that many people around."

He spun around confused, hearing her voice, but not seeing her anywhere.

"Up here, genius."

Squinting in the bright light of noon, his crystalline orbs fell upon his friend lounging up on the rooftop, gazing down amused at him, a small smirk upon her full lips that he for some reason couldn't quit thinking was rehearsed. After last night, he knew that there was no way she was in a good mood... she was putting on a show for him. It didn't take his years of training in the Turks to figure that one out.

"What are you doing up there?"

"People watching."

He offered an unamused expression which she sighed and motioned to a ladder at the side of the house. "Fine, you got me. I was thinking."

Reno took the luxury of the ladder, padding up and across the clay rooftop toward Rayne where he found himself having to take off his jacket and sit on it, the surface far to hot to sit on normally. She had done the same with her own cloak, leaving her in a spaghetti strap black tank top and her Turk uniform pants.

"You had to come up to the roof to think? You... had me worried there."

She offered him a raised brow of skepticism that quickly faded as she shrugged and feigned nonchalance. "I had to go somewhere. Your snores were echoing throughout the entire house." She looked up to the sky as she tried to smile again. "You know you're... pretty heavy."

_She must have...._ "You put me to bed?"

All he received was a nod in confirmation, but that was more than enough for him. That at least explained that mystery, and before he could help it, he found himself fantasizing on a number of things. A kiss on the forehead she could have given him as she covered him up... her curled in the crook of his arm as she nuzzled next to him awaiting the dawn...

"You alright?"

"Huh? Uh. Yeah, yeah... just thinking."

"Glad to see it's contagious."

A moment of uncomfortable silence passed between the two friends before Rayne finally spoke once more. "You... didn't see Axel yesterday on the beach, did you?" Her voice had lost the mirth that her fake smile had projected, instead she sounded solemn, insecure.

"You were alone when I found you," he answered carefully, feeling the need to speak cautiously. He didn't want to scare her away.

"When I collapsed?"

He shook his still bed-mussed red hair, taking a moment to pull the band out and allow them to flow freely onto his shoulders for a moment before raking his hand haphazardly through the mess to pull them back once more. He hadn't felt Rayne's gaze on him, taking in the foreign site of his long hair and just how far it really did reach down his back. "I had been watching you for a moment from the beach, when you were talking to... yourself."

"You mean when you were spying on me?" She muttered.

"Huh?"

"I was lucky to have you there..." She knew she couldn't be hard on him, even through the fact that their beginning of their friendship had been based on a lie, his assignment to keep an eye on her. He was good at his job and there was very little that he'd let come in the way of it. _Until last night... about me._ So things had changed, he couldn't have known she'd been listening or he wouldn't have brought up the assignment at all.

But just where did that leave them?

"Yeah, well..." He tried to find something smart-assed to say, but his words seemed to fail before they left his brain. Instead he remained looking at the orange clay, feeling the heat radiate off it relentlessly. Sweat had beaded on his forehead, but at a sideways glance at her, he found that she seemed unaffected.

She felt his gaze and squirmed a little beneath it, turning her head away to look out over the water at the tourists enjoying the ocean, completely unaware of the dangers that lurked outside of their luxury resort. Costa del Sol was good for one thing, and that was making most forget their problems and worries... so long as they were able to keep them from following there.

Suddenly she found herself feeling envious, longing for that freedom to live as they were. They lived in the moment, carefree and happy. While she sheltered herself in anticipation for the ugly demise that was sure to befall her. Slowly she felt as if her chest was beginning to close up, her breath ceasing in her chest.

"Rayne?"

"Uh... let's go inside. It's a little warm out here, don't you think?"

He cocked his head slightly, though not getting a chance to question as she stood and made her way toward and down the ladder, disappearing within.

- - - - -

"_So you're just going to sit there, and let him fawn over you? Not going to let him know you're dying? Bummer..."_

Rayne closed her eyes as she curled at one end of the couch, hugging her legs closer together. "You're not real, you're just a figment of my very sad, very warped imagination." She whispered, keeping her voice low enough to where Reno couldn't hear her over the sound of the food he was frying. It smelled like eggs... an odd choice for Lunch, but as neither of them had eaten yet.

"_I bet, you would have done the same for me... had I not gotten out while I could."_

"Shut up." She warned, closing her eyes tighter as if that would some how keep out the sound. "You're not Axel, you're just a dillusion."

"_Yes, because sane people have those."_

She growled, grabbing a pillow, half tempted to launch it across the room. Instead, she scooted down on the couch, blocking one ear with it while the other rested on the armrest. "Axel wouldn't do this to me. He cared for me, just like he cared for Roxas."

"_Wrong. Roxas only pretended to be something he wasn't when it wasn't his fault. You, on the other hand..." _The voice chuckled darkly in her ear and she pushed the pillow so hard against her head that she was beginning to give herself a headache. _"You're a monster. M-O-N-S-T-E-R... got it memorized."_

Rayne swallowed hard, trying to keep herself from screaming at it. She had to keep it down, she had to stay in control. This wasn't the first and it was obviously not going to be the last of her tormenting visions.

"_You can't ignore it, and before long... you'll return to the Lifestream. Then the Planet will weigh retribution on you like you deserve."_

"Rayne?"

She didn't answer, keeping the pillow pressed snuggly. Reno frowned, placing the plates on the coffee table as he crouched down next to her. He touched her side, she wincing as she sat up quickly and looked at him in surprise. Yanking his hand back, he saw it covered with a dark, sticky substance.

Her blood.

"What happened?!" He asked almost about to touch it when he hesitated, not wanting to hurt her again. She looked down, pulling up the shirt to reveal her bandages soaked with her own blood. She continued looking at it for a long awhile before looking back up at him with seriousness in her eyes.

"I... think I'm dying."

He shook his head, standing up and pulling out his cell phone as he headed into the bathroom. "No... You're not dying." He began, heading back out with a towel. She'd sat up by then, unwrapping the wound to reveal her flesh had been eaten away around where the stitches had been, the rest of the skin bruised a purple-green up the entirety of her right side. He paled, freezing as she took the towel from him. Wasn't that where she'd gotten injured over a month ago in Wutai?

"I'm dying Reno..." She said again very seriously as she held the terry-cloth to her bleeding wound, nearly crying out as the tiny fibers entered the sore. "Go on... call Reeve. I... I need to talk to you while we wait on transport to pick us up. Vacation's over."

What was she saying? She couldn't have been dying, she was barely as old as he was... if even that really due to the nature of her birth. Still, he seemed frozen, his legs slowing bringing him to crouch beside her once more. "Here.. give me that." Softly she took the phone from his hands, finding Reeve's number and waiting for him to pick up. It didn't take long, as she had anticipated.

"Reno?"

"Close... It's Rayne. How long can you get a transport out here?"

There was a pause in which she sensed that he was recovering from some sort of shock. "Uh... a few hours. Why do you ask?"

"I may not have a few hours. The treatment didn't take."

**((A/N: Alright... here's the end of this chapter. I know, a cruddy place to end. But trust me, things are only just beginning to get interesting. ))**


	4. Lover I Don't Have To Love

**Chapter: **4, Lover I Don't Have To Love  
**Summary: **Rayne's returned to the WRO HQ for more treatments while Reno battles with his own inner demons in trying to deal with her fate.  
**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the main character, Rayne. Final Fantasy is a product of Square Enix, while Kingdom Hearts is a joint production of Square Enix and Disney Interactive Studios (Buena Vista Games)

**((A/N: Hooray, got this one up a little quicker! Sorry for all the excuses for having so much time between them. I've been battling with being pregnant and having quite the hard time with it. It _seems_ to be under control now, so lets hope to be cranking them out a little faster now.))**

_"You... never told me where you're from."_

_Rayne looked up sheepishly from her sea-salt ice cream atop the clock tower in Twilight Town, her mako-infused green eyes shining brightly in the setting sun. No, she hadn't told him where she was from... she hadn't told anyone where she was from. Who would believe that she wasn't from this realm to begin with?_

_"It's just... a place really far away. It doesn't matter now, I'm never going back," she replied finally, hurrying to lick up a few strands of the leaking ice cream before it fell._

_Her companion was silent for a few minutes, leg swung over the side of the tower moving back and forth as he too enjoyed the ice cream. "So you're from another world... don't seem to get a lot of tourists here. Paths between worlds being closed an all."_

_She stiffened. How had he known? "Wait... you mean, people jump from different realms all the time? That doesn't strike you as... strange?"_

_"I'm a Nobody. Nothing strikes me as strange."_

_Rayne watched Axel for several moments after words, warring over her own mind in telling him where she was from and how she'd gotten there. He didn't seem like the type to betray her, so what did she have to lose? "I'm from a place called Midgar. I escaped from a research department when it was attacked by a former... employee." She used the last term lightly, not sure of what else to call Sephiroth. _

_"So you were an experiment? Bummer." He stood suddenly, dropping his stick, now barren of ice cream, over the side of the tower. "Seems we have more in common than I thought."_

_"What do you mean?" She asked, hurrying to scarf the rest of hers, getting brain freeze in the process._

_"It seems neither one of us was supposed to exist after all..." He raised his hand, opening a black portal of shadow. Her eyes glittered as she watched it happen, wanting to know how he did that and where he drew his power from. "Not by normal means."_

_He offered a hand to her, which she took hesitantly as he began to walk within. "Wait... where are we going?"_

_Smiling, he turned around, his own green eyes shining cheerfully. "I have someone I want you to meet."_

_"Meet?"_

_He tugged at her hand lightly, his way of telling her not to worry. "Don't worry, Roxas won't bite."_

_- - - - -_

With the multitude of machines that were monitoring Rayne's every reaction to the treatment, Reno pondered to himself just where the woman found the ability to sleep. Laid up in a bed in the Research wing once more, wires were connected to everything from her hands to her head to her chest and stomach. IVs let a constant drip of liquids into her blood stream, trying to fend off what they could of the degradation that now seeped and oozed a green-black substance into the bandages covering it.

Pressing his hand to the window, he brought his face closer, trying to make heads or tails of the medical jumbo the readouts displayed, but it was hopeless. This was why he was a Turk and not head of Research and Development. It was just job to secure the data, not read it.

"Have you slept?"

"Huh? Oh... no, wasn't tired," Reno replied off-handedly, meeting knuckles with his long-time partner. "It's been... awhile since we last worked together."

Rude nodded, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked into the window where Rayne lay. "Reeve keeps me busy."

"With Elena?"

There was a groan from the taller Turk who again only nodded in response. Reno smiled, trying to lighten the mood and nudged him a couple times in his ribs. "Maybe he's trying to tell her she's sweet on ya."

His jaw dropped, the wideness of his eyes apparent even behind his ever-present sunglasses. Reno chuckled, patting his friend on the back. "I don't think Tseng would be able to part with her."

A long moment of silence passed between the two, both just looking in, Reno studying while Rude more-or-less tried to figure out just what it was that made his friend so enamored. "This goes beyond Reeve's mission." It was a statement, one that left no room for debate, and defeated Reno conceded.

"Hey, you know me... charm a girl, get your fill, see her later. But... she's different, yo."

Rude didn't say anything for a moment before giving Reno a pat on the back. "Growing up."

He brushed him off, but there was still the slightly enamored grin from thinking about his heroine on his features. "I gave away childhood the moment I signed up with The Turks." He said only half-serious. The Turks may have been a huge step up from the past he hid, but that didn't mean he had to absolutely grow up. Pressing his forehead against the glass of the window, he sighed heavily. "She told me she's dying."

"You expected different?"

He flashed a dangerous look at his friend who only shook his head and elaborated. "Genesis and Angeal... degradation."

"Then there was Sephiroth... and Genesis found his cure somehow. You saw with the Tsuvets. Rayne's different, she wasn't made like them. I've read through her files. There just has to be something we're not seeing."

Rude stood there for a moment longer, pity in his eyes for his friend. You don't fall in love with your mark, your mission. In fact, you stay completely emotionally distant to it so that there's no repercussions for the dirty work you have to do. And yet... part of him felt for him. Reno wasn't the type to just fall for someone, to fight for them versus his job. Rayne had to be something to do that to him.

"I've got to go. Mission, Gongaga. Checking on Cissnei."

Reno nodded, giving Rude a thumbs up. "Kick ass."

"Always do."

- - - - -

For someone who was supposedly dying, Rayne had to admit; she didn't feel any different than she always had. Granted there was now a gaping hole in her side to contend with and she had a wing that sometimes protruded from her back. But that all seemed sort of moot to the central fact that all-in-all...she felt like herself. However, that also raised another question entirely.

Had she been dying from the beginning?

How else could this have little other effect on her moods, on her energy?

"Hey kid...you look like hell," Reno commented coming through to doors as a technician left. She offered him a bored expression, raising a hand covered in IV's and wired and flipped him the bird.

"I could say the same thing about you. Same clothes you were wearing on vacation?" She lofted a brow, as he looked down at himself shrugging.

"Guess I haven't had time to change yet."

She smiled, pushing herself more into a sitting position on the bed, raising the back to support her. "What have you been doing all this time? Watching me from behind the glass?" She'd meant it as a joke...he probably would have laughed had it not been true.

"Well--"

"Reno!"

"Yeah, well you scared me back there with all that talk of dying!" He defended coming to stand by her bedside. Rayne's eyes lost their mirth, finding herself unable to look at him for a moment.

"It wasn't just talk. I'm degrading, just like the rest. It'll just keep up until I finally return to the Lifestream," she replied in a soft voice, almost feeling the devastation that now showed on his boyish features.

"But Genesis--"

"--Was a miracle. He found his 'Gift of the Goddess' and I was sadly forsaken. And don't say anything about Sephiroth, because there's never been another. I can't even find Hojo's papers on Project S, they were either lost in the ShinRa explosion or ShinRa did away with them to hide just how screwed up that man was."

Reno clenched his fists tightly, not willing to give into defeat so easily. "So you're just going to give up, lay here and die?"

Her pained eyes found his once more, and she had to bite back her tears. "What do you want me to do?!"

"I-I don't know! We're Turks, we don't give up!" He argued passionately.

"You're a Turk, I'm just some mark you were assigned to spy on and pretend you're friends with."

The venom in her tone caused him to visibly recoil, shrinking back some from the bed. "How did you...I mean..."

"I wasn't as asleep as you thought I was the other night when you called Reeve in," she answered cooly. "Did you really think you could just drag me along all this time, act all heart broken about me turning you down, when you were just wanting to finish a job, Reno? And here I thought I was being the civil one cutting you free so you wouldn't have anything to lose when I die."

"It's not like that, Rayne!" He protested.

"Oh, it's not? Then what is it? Because I've got too many enemies to worry about not to have to be dealing with some guy trying to fake his way into my head!"

"I love you!"

Silence. A total and unequivocal silence fell so suddenly and heavily over the room that Rayne thought she may had gone deaf. She couldn't hear the machines, or if he was still talking, or even the beat of her own heart. She opened her mouth to speak, but found nothing but air expelling from the breath she'd been unknowingly holding. Reno threw his arms around her suddenly, being careful of the cords.

"I love you, alright? Reeve knows it, Rude knows it, hell...Elena knows it and I don't even talk to her. I can't stop these feelings I have for you...no more than I can just give up and let you die. I...I can't imagine losing you."

He pulled away slightly, looking down into her mako-green eyes with his own crystal blue pools, his sincerity showing so boldly that she couldn't deny the truth in his words if she wanted to. Which she did, because she knew that he was going to be dragged down into this abysmal pit of death with her when she went, if only by the heart strings. "You...can't love me Reno." She spoke finally, her voice sounding breathless.

Their mouths were closer than she'd realized, she could feel his warm breath on her bottom lip and instinctively she brought it into her mouth to chew on nervously. "Why can't I?" He questioned, his voice merely a whisper. They both could feel it, that familiar pull between them, like magnets begging to meet. Energy surged through her spine, Reno's heart pounded in his ears. Neither moved, at least, not for the moment.

"Because...I wasn't supposed to exist anyway," she started, turning her head from him and ending the tormenting pressure between them. "The Planet is just righting a wrong."

**((A/N: I thought this would be a good place to stop. This chapter was a little hard for me to write for some reason, I'm not sure why. I think I had the most trouble with the awkward reunion between Reno and Rude...I can't imagine them without one another and having had them spend so much time apart on different missions has left me trying to make up some material XD))**


	5. Escape

**Chapter: **5, Escape**  
****Summary: **Rayne finds herself doing the only thing she's ever known when things start getting rough, but Reno's not about to just let her give up.**  
Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the main character, Rayne. Final Fantasy is a product of Square Enix, while Kingdom Hearts is a joint production of Square Enix and Disney Interactive Studios (Buena Vista Games.)

**(( A/N: Alright, Chapter 5 up in record time! Good thing too, I've been writing it over the course of these last three days while I level my Death Knight on World of Warcraft. Lots of long flights with nothing better to do than to write XD ))**

There came a time in everyone's life when something went too far, sometime when enough was enough and they desperately needed a change. Coming on week two of being confined to a bed with I.V.s and wires like some kind of invalid sparked that reaction in Rayne. The treatments weren't helping, obviously. She was still slowly, but steadily degrading and all they were doing was keeping her from getting out and being active.

She didn't feel like she was dying, so there was nothing keeping her from living was there?

"You sure this is what you want?" Tseng questioned as he prepared to add his signature to her medical release to return to work. She nodded.

"I've never been more sure of anything," was her answer as she looked eagerly at the page. Heavily bandaged and back in her confining suit—which for some reason felt a little more like home now—she was ready to face the world. It should have been obvious to those who've known her since her days in ShinRa Headquarters that she wasn't one to take anything lying down. She was a fighter, and she was determined to keep it that way.

He shook his head, reluctantly signing next to where Reeve had signed and looked back up at her. "Don't become a liability."

"Wasn't planning on it. If its alright, I'd like to request I not be partnered with Reno anymore," he gave her a look and she realized that perhaps he may have taken it wrong. "No! There's no problem between us, just...the liability. I don't believe he uses his best judgment in situations involving me."

Tseng nodded, agreeing with that. "I hadn't wanted to say anything, Reeve said matters were complicated."

"And I'm wanting to un-complicate them."

There was a slight silence between them as Tseng began to go through their case files. "There's really no other work I have for you," he admitted. She shrugged, having an idea already in mind.

"I could take care of the ShinRa Mansion," she suggested softly. "I'm already familiar with every inch of it as is, there's still a lot of research and equipment in there...too much to just leave it without protection. I could tend to it during the time I've got left."

"No, out of the question. If Reeve--"

"I already know Reeve wanted me monitored, which you can easily do while I'm in the Manor. It's not like you hadn't already or you wouldn't have been able to find me there in the first place."

She had a point, he knew it. He just had a problem with letting her go, in good conscience, knowing full well she was doing the feline thing and going out of sight to die. Granted, it would be much easier on the moral around, as she'd managed to bring something to the team that they hadn't had before...though that could very well just be another perk of no longer doing ShinRa's dirty work. In any event, it was strange.

"Very well... I can have transport organized for tomorrow at dawn."

She frowned. "Nothing sooner?"

He chuckled. "You're not getting out of this that easy. You should at least tell your partner you've been reassigned. How or just what you tell him is none of my business."

Rayne liked it a lot better when she was the one making good points. "Right." Turning to leave, she paused by the door, glancing back. "It's been great...working together." She offered a positive smile though inside she suddenly didn't feel it. She was..._scared_.

"Don't be talking like that, you don't know what will come by tomorrow," he directed with a furrowed brow.

"And you shouldn't talk like that. It makes you sound too much like Reno." With a slight wave of her hand, she disappeared from his office and into the rest of the WRO building.

- - - - -

_The kid isn't always so wrong._

Tseng's words echoed on her mind even long after she'd left the building and headed out onto the streets of Edge to get away for awhile. Through the usual hustle and bustle of the lingering citizen or orphan out playing amongst the puddles left from a long forgotten rain storm, she found a slight peace of mind.

To think that less than a year prior, the events of Geostigma had been tearing through this community and claiming the lives of so many...it seemed so distant now. Their battles were over, Sephiroth was gone, and they could get on with living the way they'd deserved.

So why do I still have to fight?

The question floated into he consciousness before she could help it, and she found herself being launched into a discussion with herself of why it was that she was cursed so when others could live so free. Why the bad guy could get off without suffering, while she'd never hurt anyone and she was forced to die slowly...and alone.

Okay, so the alone thing had been her choice, but it seemed the most sensible thing to do. All her life she'd just wanted to be loved by someone, she'd just wanted to be special in someone's eyes. And here she had it, finally...and she was giving it up for the sake of decency. Shouldn't it have been Reno's choice to stay and fight by her side till the end?

_Not when I don't want him seeing my gorey demise._

When it came down to it, she realized it was little more than a selfish need for her aesthetic vision in Reno's eyes to not be tarnished by the ugly effects of degradation. Whatever she'd managed to come into contact with in the past months had seemed to finally root out a home within her and speed up the process, and she hadn't known how long or just what it would do completely to her. No matter the fact, she didn't want him around to see her die.

It wasn't long until she realized the sounds of the city seemed far behind her now, that a curious glance hadn't fallen on her for quite some time, and even that the pavement had given away to grass leading to a twisted steel fence. Midgar loomed in the distance, a lonely omen of the sad state the Planet was once in.

_Freedom. That's all anyone ever really wants..._

She closed her eyes, feeling a familiar pressure in her back, the pain of bones shifting, muscles and tendons moving, flesh tearing. Without problem, the tawny black wing found its way from her back and through her suit, stretching in the setting sun. She gripped to the fencing, her knees growing weak. Nausea and pain washed over her as her other hand found her shoulder, clutching it against the stinging burn.

Rayne gave the wing a practice flash, shuddering as another sharp pain took her. Trying it a few more times, she found the pain slowly subsided, her body becoming use to the action. Still slightly weak in the knees, she wondered if she could carry on by taking to the skies.

In the next moment she was pleased to find that she could do just that. The wind whipped through her hair, the ground disappearing beneath her as she rocketed skyward. Reaching a prime altitude, she gave it another flap, angled in a different way, taking of shooting across the sky toward Midgar.

- - - - -

He hadn't been here in years.

As Reno stepped into the ruined church within the Sector 5 slums, he was only mildly surprised to see the flowers were still growing in the center without the aid of the Ancient who once resided here. In time, all things return to the Lifestream, and he pondered if her influence there was what was keeping them going.

Being sure to step around them, he took a seat on the first row of pews, the only ones that seemed safe enough to still sit on. He'd needed to get out of Edge, out of the WRO building...he needed a place he could think clearly and unbothered.

He needed to be away from Rayne.

His mind got so muddled when it came to her. It was like knowing everything you've ever wanted in life while not knowing what you'd do with it at all or why you even wanted it in the first place. She soothed him and all the while frustrated him to no end. She took what once could be taken for face value and turned it into a complete and utter paradox.

"You can't take her from me," he found himself saying suddenly, his head bowed. "You just can't take her, ya know? I haven't been able to convince her to give me a chance yet, when I can see how much she loves me in just the way she looks at me!"

And soon he was standing again, pacing back and forth in the pulpit. "She doesn't think there's hope. You've given everyone else a second chance without even batting an eye at her first! It's not like she asked for this, she's not a monster." His voice faltered for moment and he paused, taking a few deep breaths. "She won't even ask for your help."

There was the flutter of wings above him, but he didn't bother to look. It wasn't uncommon for birds to gather in the rafters and flutter about. Truth be told, he barely noticed them in his plea for Rayne's life. "Just give me time...to let her know that she doesn't have to be alone. That...that I love her."

He knelt down next to the flowers, reaching out but not touching the sacred objects. "I know I'm the last person who has a right to be making pleas after the lives I've taken or caused to be taken. But...I've tried my part in turning around. Even tried saving the Planet a couple times. You've taken so many...what will you be missing by leaving her here?"

A haunting silence overtook the Church and its sentient occupants, not even the shadows in the rafters moving an inch as a cool wind blew overhead. He just had to believe...that's how hope worked right? Putting faith in something like a miracle or unseen thing? He'd have to believe he was heard and that something would change.

- - - - -

"Did you walk here?"

Reno nearly jumped out of his skin at the voice, having not expected to hear it—especially now of all times. He looked upon Rayne, his eyes immediately falling to that wing of hers. When had they released her? "Rayne..."

"--Tseng sent me to look for you," she said quickly, not giving him a chance to talk. She'd heard all she needed to hear when she was in the Church listening to him. Granted, she hadn't meant to find him there, but she was glad she had. She knew now more than ever what she needed to do. "So that I could tell you that I was being reassigned."

His brow furrowed and he pushed off the side of the Church where he'd been leaning, his Electro-Mag Rod coming to rest on his shoulder. "What do you mean?"

"He...had some solo work that needed done and I took it. I'm heading out tomorrow at dawn," she reported as professionally as she could. His face became stoic at first, then suspicious. He knew her better than that.

"If...I've made you uncomfortable Rayne, then just tell me. I'll leave."

She quickly shook her head, feeling a pang of guilt for the webs of lies she was weaving for the only person to ever truly love her. "It's not you. I just need to get some extra work done for some stuff I've had my eye on. Thinking of getting real weapons instead of my summons."

Reno crossed his arms, unable to fight off the feeling of hurt. "Where are you going? How long?"

"It's...a secret mission. I won't know until tomorrow when I get there." Another lie and the moment it left her mouth, she could tell by the look on his face that he hadn't bought a word of it.

"Why are you lying to me? Tseng would send more than just a rookie in if it was something like that!"

She narrowed her eyes, getting defensive. "I've never lied to you, a courtesy I wish you'd shown to me! What makes you think that I'm lying now?"

"Because for some reason, I'm completely intolerable for you to be around. If you opened up to me more, maybe I'd know why that was!"

They stared at each other, tempers and feelings flaring. Neither said anything as their pulses raced, their adrenaline rushing. Finally, Rayne wrapped her wing around her as she began to turn, hiding her face. "Don't come looking for me."

"Wait, Rayne!"

It was too late. With a massive flap, she shot up into the air and out of sight within the darkness of the twilight sky.

**(( A/N: Alright, Chapter Five and another story drawing dangerously close to an end. I hadn't originally planned on them arguing here. ;_; But those two and their pride and tempers. At least Reno has swallowed his! Anyways, I'm thinking next chapter might be the last for this story, but don't fret, I'll be writing a whole other sequel after this. My inner writer needed me to make this a trilogy. ^.^))**


	6. Goodbye Love

The days went on, maturing into weeks. And those weeks grew into full fledged months. No one spoke of her, they knew better. The Turks went on with their business, and either Rayne had gone on with hers...or she'd returned to the Lifestream.

And no one was ready to propose the latter to Reno.

In fact, the red-haired Turk had barely talked to anyone since her departure, returning his full attention to his work and becoming more monosyllabic than Rude who could only look at his long-time partner with hopes that whatever was going on in his head, that he'd get over it. And soon. Reeve was sending down some big plans to Tseng to give them, tests more like to ensure the World Regenesis Organization could really use a contract group of brutes like them and if Rufus ShinRa should still keep them on the payroll.

The last thing Rude wanted was to seen Reno sent elsewhere because of his mistake of getting too close to a mark.

Activity had been at an all-time low within Edge, especially since Rayne had taken her departure from the area. Everyone carried on with their lives as if nothing had ever been amiss and geostigma was a thing of the past. She'd been a virtual ghost to the world, but despite how she played it, had she really wanted it to be that way? After everything she'd ever done and all her efforts to disappear, could it have been that she wanted more than ever for someone to just see her for more than just a statistical number?

- - - - -

**Sender:** _Reno_

**Subject:** _None_

**Body:**

_How are you? I don't respect a reply...I know I won't get one._

_I guess the simple fact that I don't get an error message _

_in return is assurance enough to know that you are okay._

_Um...I uh...sure is quiet around here. Later._

Rayne shook her head and sat the black flip phone down on the counter as she went back through the lab's inventory. The message wasn't a surprise, she had 123 of them...124 now counting this latest one. A text for everyday that she'd been gone. At first, they'd been filled with apologies and wishes for her to come back. Yet somewhere down the line that all had stopped, and a sort of acceptance had happened where he just tried desperately for a conversation. Now the transition had turned more into habitual, as if he couldn't sleep at night without sending one.

And she hadn't send back a single text.

If she sent him back one, he could use it to trace back the signal and find her approximate location. She didn't _want_ to be found. Well, truth be told, it would be nice to have him around. However, why be a burden if she didn't have to be? She had a nice big mansion at her disposal, all the lab equipment and books she could want for research, and to top it off the rumors and stories behind the place would keep her from getting bothered. No, she absolutely had it made and there was no reason at all for her to break that.

Even if she did miss him. A lot.

For a brief moment, sea green eyes flicked back to rest on that cell phone of hers which some unknown factor had forced her to keep active. _Or maybe I need to receive those useless texts from him just to know he's still getting along out there. _She shook the thought from her head, beginning to take inventory on the glass vials, trying to keep from thinking about him. However, as hard as she try, she found it an impossibility as she drifted back to the fight they had. A fight they would never have had if she wouldn't have insisted on being to strong one...on dying alone and lying to him to keep him away.

_Couldn't you have hated me like a normal person?_

She took a deep breath, hand finding her side where she found her shirt was wet. "Oh, of all the bloody..." Rayne grumbled, leaving her inventory half taken and with cell in hand, headed upstairs. The wound she'd recieved months ago was little more than a giant seeping hole in her side, the rest of her skin around it and across her torso well rotted and black with decay. The necrosis had spread internally now, eating through her organs. And while the research she'd done here kept her going enough without pain from day to day, the wear was becoming to much.

It was making it's way through the outer barriers and was starting to get to what was vital.

She didn't move as quickly as she used to, her legs seemingly dragging behind her. It was as if there were sandbags tied to her feet, and each step and stair made them weigh a little more. That was just it though, no pain, just an utter sense of feeling like her body just didn't want to go anymore. So why did she make it?

_Not like you'll ever see him again._

- - - - -

Reno watched his cell phone. Ten minutes...twenty minutes...thirty... There was no reply, as usual, but again there was the confirmation that there was no error in the message getting recieved. He sighed heavily, realizing that he'd been holding his breath. Why did he put himself through this? He should have figured that if she didn't answer the first hundred times, she definitely wasn't going to answer this time. He didn't even know if she was even reading them, or if she had her cell phone on her. She could have just let the battery die...or given it away. Or she could even have been deleting the messages as soon as she got them.

But it made his heart feel better knowing he was at least trying. How long could she possibly stay mad?

_Probably forever..._

Another sigh escaped his pale lips as he watched the lights transfer from one window to another, signalling an occupant heading upstairs in the building toward the bedrooms. They were moving at a different pace tonight than they did most nights. Tired, staggered. Finally the light in the master bedroom came on and he watched the silhouette of a female move within.

Part of him felt dirty for watching Rayne like that, but he had to know she was alright. He'd been out there every night, knowing the whole time where she'd been. He'd fly out the moment work was done to watch until she went to sleep at night before flying back to Edge to rest up before morning. Was it a crime that he was worried about her?

His heart ached to be in there with her, to speak a word to her, even if she yelled at him or ignored him all together. Just to be in the same room with her once more, to look into those eyes...he didn't expect to have his feelings requited, but at least he'd get to see her again and stop this pain in his chest.

Therefore he found his feet moving before he could really stop himself, taking him closer to the ShinRa Mansion. He found his hand gripping the old scuffed iron doorknob and twisting it before entering the building. His heart raced as he climbed each stair, taking him even closer to her. She was going to kill him. Hell, Tseng was going to kill him when he found out. He'd been giving strict orders, and yet he'd made a point to ignore them purposefully.

For her.

Reno hesitated as he stood outside the door to the room. He could go back now and she'd never have to know he was here. Just turn back and try to put her behind him. Could he honestly say that seeing her just _once_ would fix his ailing heart? However, when he heard that cry of pain and heart the thump on the other side of the door, there was no more contemplation. He rushed in, eyes scanning frantically for Rayne.

She lay on the floor, weakly trying to stand while her right arm clutched to her side in desperate attempt to perhaps squeeze some of the pain out. The medication had wore off before she'd gotten to readminister another dose, she'd barely even cleaned it before her legs gave out. She wasn't ready for this, she wasn't ready to die...

And yet here she was, laying on the floor of the ShinRa Mansion and her mind was making her believe that Reno was there with her...at her side. But that was impossible...he couldn't know where she was. She'd never replied, she'd been careful. She'd been downright cruel to him.

"Reno?"

"Shh...don't speak," he whispered, getting his arm underneath her legs and another one around her back. Hoisting her up off the floor, he carried her to the bed and laid her down gently atop the covers. "It's alright, I'm here...even if you don't want me to be...I'm here."

Rayne reached up, her fingertips touching the pale flesh of his cheek to confirm her mind wasn't playing tricks. He was there, he was _real..._ He'd come for her. "I-I'm sorry I never..."

"I know. I'm sorry I got so..."

"I know..."

He lifted the side of her shirt, hesitating only to get a nod from her to let him know he'd not get smacked for the action. His heart fell at the sight. "Oh damn...let me call a 'copter. We can get you back to Edge and fix you back up." His hands shook even as he spoke, as if his body knew already what his mind refused to believe.

"No...no more hospitals. No more medication," Rayne whispered, her eyes refusing to leave his face. "I'm...tired...of fighting."

He shook his head furiously. "No! No...just a little longer. It won't have to hurt anymore, I promise. Just let me get you help."

"Reno..." she cupped his hand that was at her side putting pressure on her wound. Black-green goop had found it's way out of her, like blood normally would a wound. "I need you to be strong for me. I...need you to let me go." She gave him a soft smile. "I'm just glad you came for me."

"Don't talk like that!" He frowned, a tear escaping before he could stop it. "You're going to be alright."

"Please...don't make it harder than it already is...I'm sorry I can't stay..."

"I love you." He did the only thing he could think to do at that moment. He kissed her. Surprisingly, she let her lips gently kiss his back, reveling in the feeling of knowing what it was like to be loved. _Truely _loved.

"We'll meet again, I promise. I may not...recognize you. Or you me...but our destinies are intwined." She whispered softly against his neck as she hugged him one last time.

Rayne became lighter in his arms, a glow beginning to show in the center of her chest as etheral green waves wafted off her body. Slowly, she melted away from this world, becoming one with the Planet.

Slowly...she left Reno alone. One last time was all he'd get.


End file.
